Karnataka CM dares Vijayendra for open debate on budget

Bengaluru: Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Tuesday dared BJP state president B Y Vijayendra to come for an open debate in the byelection arena on the budget and the state’s overall financial health. 

In a press statement, Siddaramaiah termed Vijayendra’s demand for a white paper on the state’s financial condition as a reflection of his “lack of understanding of economics and administrative experience”.

“The budget is not merely a bundle of numbers, but an honest account placed before the 7 crore people of Karnataka. The budget has been discussed and approved by both Houses. That itself is our white paper. If there are still any doubts, I am ready to provide clarifications. I am even prepared for an open debate with you in the byelection arena”.

Noting that no department was in a situation where it couldn’t pay salaries to its employees, he said the government had followed 2 mandates of the fiscal responsibility & budget management Act — maintaining fiscal deficit under 3% of GSDP and keeping overall liabilities less than 25% of GSDP.